Quality grader



May 23, 1933. D. CHAPMAN 1,911,013

QUALITY GRADER Filed 00%.,13, 1930 l q INVENTOR.

A TTORNE Y.

Patented May 23, 1933 UNITED STATES FRANK ID. CHAPMAN, F BERLIN,WISCONSIN QUALITY GBBDER Application filed October 13, 1930. Serial No.488,215.

The present invention relates in general to improvements in the art ofgrading granular material, and relates more specifically to improvementsin the construction and operation of quality graders for edible granularsubstances, such as peas, beans, berries or the like.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved quality graderwhich is s mple 3 and compact in construction, and whrchns moreoverhighly efiicient and flexible 1n its operation.

It has heretofore been proposed, as shown in U. S. Application SerialNo. 413,507, filed 5 December 12, 1929, to grade peas or the like as toquality, by utilizing three superimposed streams of brine flowinghorizontally at difierent velocities, the mixed peas being introducedinto the intermediate relatively G slow moving stream and beingmaintained therein for a sutficient length of time so that the floatersand sinkers are permitted to rise and fall respectively, into the upperand lower adjoining streams. While this prior :5 method has provenhighly satisfactory in commercial use, the original graders for carryingon the process, did not provide sufficient flexibility in operation inorder to meet various operating conditions. For instance,

50 it occasionally happens, at least temporarily,

that the run of peas is either so good'or so inferior, that qualitygrading is superfluous, thereby making it desirable to by-pass thegrader, and thus reduce the cost of treatment.

Then too, it is desirable, in order to secure most effective qualitygrading, to maintain the grading liquid free from impurities, such aspods and thistle buds. It is moreover de- 4 sirable, dependent upon thecharacteristics of the peas being treated, to vary the relativevelocities of the separating streams, such velocity I variations alsobeing desirable in order to alter the nature of the final grades.

It is a more specific object of the present invention to provide variousimprovements in the details of construction of quality graders of thegeneral type above described, which will permit attainment of the desir-50 able results referred to, and which will also enhanoethe eificiencyof operation of such devices.

Some of the novel features of quality grader construction and operation,including the method of utilizing superimposed streams of separatingliquid flowing in the same direction as described but not specificallyclaimed herein form the subject of said copending application Serial No.13,507, filed December 12, 1929. 50

A clear conception of embodiments of the various novel featuresconstituting the present invention, and of the mode of constructing andof operating quality graders built in accordance therewith, may be hadby referring to the drawing accompanying and forming part of thisspecification, in which like reference characters designate the same orsimilar parts in the various views.

Flg. 1 is a central vertical section through the separating chambers ofa quality grader, showlng some of the improvements in elevation;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary central vertical section through thebrine supply tank of the quality grader; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary part-sectional top view through the brine supplytank, the section being taken along the irregular line 33 of Fig. 2,looking in the direction of the arrows.

The improved quality grader specifically disclosed in the drawing by wayof illustration, comprises in general a brine supply tank 5 supportedupon a'main frame 4 and communicating at one end with thecorrespondingends of several groups of casings which are also supported upon the mainframe 4. Each of the groups of casings comprises a series of threesuperimposed chambers or channels communicating directly with the supplytank 5 and formed to produce the requisite three superimposedhorizontally advancing streams.

The intermediate chamber 6 of each of the 95 groups, communicates withthe medial portion of the tank 5 through an expanding inlet portion 29,and the chamber 6 has a relatively large cross-section, therebyproducing relatively slow advancement of the 100 brine-therethrough. Theupper channel 7 of each groupis in open communication along its bottom,with the adjoining chamber 6, and has one end 25 in direct communicationwith the upper portion of the tank 5, and its opposite end in opencommunication with a discharge trough 9 over a vertically adjustable damor wier 30. The lower channel or pipe 8 of each group, has its upperportion in open communication with the adjoining chamber 6 by virtue ofa. slot 31, one end of the pipe 8 communicating directly with the lowerportion of the tank 5, and the opposite end thereof communicating with adischarge trough 12 through an inclined pipe section 10. The dischargetroughs 9, 12 are disposed laterally adjacent to each other and have nointer-communication other than through the end of the chamber 6, asclearly illustrated in said copending application.

The discharge troughs 9, 12 are adapted to conduct material deliveredthereto over independent inclined discharge grids 11, each grid 11serving to accommodate the discharge from several of the grading units.

Disposed beneath the discharge grids 11 is a brine receiving tank 13,the upper inlet portion of which is provided with removable screens 14for catching the pods and thistle buds delivered through the grids 11with the separated brine. These screens 14 may be readily removed forcleaning purposes. A circulating pump 15 has its suction 16 connectedwith the lower portion of the tank 13, and is provided with a flexibledischarge p pe 17 which communicates with a supply pipe 18 for the tank5. The end of the supply pipe 18 within the tank 5 is provided w th aperforated header 19 for in ect ng the brine into the tank 5 withoutundesirable agitation.

The headers 19 may be formed of any su table length in order to secureuniform distribution of the brine within the tank 5, and as shown indetail in Figs. 2 and 3, each header 19 may be provided with relat velysmall outlet pipes 26 communicating with the upper portion thereof. Theoutlet pipes 26 extend upwardly into the tank 5 and are provided withcontrol valves 27, being subsequently directed downwardly and termnating in nozzle ortions 28 which are directed into the inlet ends ofthe pipes By admitting liquid under pressure directly from the headers19 into the lnlet ends of the pipes 8, the velocity of flow throughthese pipes may be materially augmented, the nozzle portions 28producing ejector actions and thereby causing the flow to beintensified.

The mixed peas are admitted to the quality graders through a supplyhopper 20 having lower portions 24 for admitting the peas directly intothe chambers 6 beneath the channels 7. The peas are conducted into thehopper 20 by means of a bucket elevator 22, the successive buckets ofwhich deliver batches of peas into the upper end of the hopper 20, fromwhence they gravitate downwardly through the lower hopper portions 24.

In accordance with the present invention, an auxiliary spout or by-passchute 21, which is formed to conduct the peas discharged by the elevator22 into the upper end of the hopper 20, past the grader units withoutsubjecting the peas to grading, is provided. In order to permit such useof the chute 21,

a pivotally supported by-pass gate 23 is provided, and it will beapparent that by setting the gate 23 as indicated in Fig. 1, the peasdelivered from the bucket elevator 22 will be caused to traveldownwardly through the chute 21. If the gate 23 is swung about the hingeat its lower end in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 1, the peasdelivered from the elevator 22 will be discharged downwardly through thehopper 20 and cannot enter the chute 21.

During normal operation of the improved grader, and assuming the by-passvalve 23 to be swung forwardly so as to cut 011' the chute 21, theadmitted peas are delivered by gravity through the hopper 20 and hopperportions 24 directly to the separating chambers 6. The mixed peas thusadmitted are carried longitudinally within the chamber 6 by the brinepassing slowly therethrough, and during such transportation of themixture, the floaters rise into the channel 7 and the sinkcrs drop intothe pipes 8. Due to the relatively'higher velocities in the channels 7and pipes 8, the floaters and sinkers are quickly discharged into thetroughs 9, 12 respectively, and are subsequently separated from theconveying liquid by the grids 11 and are discharged from the machine. Asthe stream of liquid within each chamber 6 approaches the discharge endof the chamber, there remain in suspension a certain number of balancedpeas, the specific gravity of which is such that they will neither floatnor sink in the brine. These peas may be caused to accept either thechannel 7 or the pipe 8, as a means of discharge, either by varying theheight of the wier 30, or by varying the velocity of flow through thepipe 8. Variation in the velocity within the pipes 8 may be readilyefiected by manipulating the valves 27 to thereby increase or diminishthe velocity of the streams within the pipes 8. When the velocity withinthe pipes 8 is increased, there will be a tendency its due to theincreased velocity, for the liquid flowing through the dischargeportions 10 1 If it becomes desirable, due to the characteristics of thepeas transported by the elevator 22, to by-pass the grader units, it isonly'necessary to manipulate the by-pass gate 23, thus efiectivelycutting out the graders. The screens 14 serve to effectively remove thepods, thistle buds, and other impurities which pass through the grids11, thus maintaining the brine in suitable condition for subsequent usein the separating.

chamber.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that the presentinvention greatly enhances the flexibility of operation of grading unitsof this general type. The pipes 26 and valves 27 permit convenientvariation in the characteristics of the quality grades produced. Theby-pass chute 21 and gate 23 permit convenient discharge of the peaspast grader units whenever such by-passing becomes desirable. Thedischarge end of the by-pass chute 21 is preferably formed so that thematerial passing through the chute may be delivered to any desired placein accordance with the will of the operator. The screens 14 providesimple and eifective means for maintaining the separating liquid inrelatively pure condition, and the various improvements constituting thepresent invention have cooperated to greatly increase the efiiciency andcommercial value of these quality graders.

. It should be understood that it is not desired to limit the inventionto the exact details of construction herein shown and described, forvarious modifications within the scope of the claims may occur topersons skilled in the art.

It is claimed and desired to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In combination, means for producing three superimposed horizontalstreams of liquid emanating from a common source and flowing in the samedirection, means for delivering granular material only into the1ntermediate of said streams to effect rising of the lighter granulesinto the upper of said streams and settling of the heavier granules intothe lower of said streams, and means for injecting liquid at highvelocity directly into an end of the lower of said streamslongitudinally thereof.

.2. In combination, means for producing =1 superimposed horizontalstreams of liquid,

means for delivering granular material into an upper of said streamsbetween the ends of the lower of said streams to efiect quality gradingof the granules, means associated with one endof the lower of saidstreams at one side of said delivery means for elevating the granulestransported by said lower stream, and means at the opposite end of saidlower stream and at the opposite side of said delivery means foraugmenting the streams beyond said tank, and means for injecting liquidat relatively high pressure into the lower of said streams to ejectliquid from said tank through the lower of said conduits.

4. In combination, a liquid supply tank, three superimposed conduitscommunicating with said tank, means for delivering granular materialinto the intermediate of said conduits beyond said tank, a header fordelivering liquid into said tank remote from said conduits, and a valvecontrolled pipe for injecting liquid from said header directly into thelower of said conduits.

5. In combination, a liquid receptacle, a plurality of conduitscommunicating with said receptacle, means for delivering granularmaterial into the stream of liquid emanating from one of said conduits,means for supplying liquid to said receptacle remote from said conduits,and a pipe for injecting liquid from said supply means directly throu hanother of said conduits.

6. n combination, a liquid receptacle, a plurality of conduits fordelivering superimposed streams of liquid from said receptacle, meansfor depositing granular material into an upper of said streams, meansfor distributively supplying liquid to said receptacle remote from saidconduits, and a valve controlled pipe for delivering liquid atcomparatively high pressure directly from said supply means into thelower of said conduits.

7. In combination, a liquid receptacle, three conduits for deliveringsuperimposed streams of liquid from said receptacle, means fordepositing granular material directly into the intermediate of saidstreams outside of said receptacle, a headerfor distributivelydelivering liquid to a medial portion of said receptacle remote fromsaid conduits, a pipe connecting said header directly with the lower ofsaid conduits, and a valve for controlling the flow of liquid throughsaid pipe, said valve being operable from the top of said receptacle.

3. In combination, grading apparatus comprising an elongated separatingchamber having a quality grade delivery grid at one end thereof a hopperfor delivering granular material requiring grading to said chamberremote from saidv grid, an elevator for admitting material to the upperend of said hopper, a chute directly'connecting the portion of saidhopper in proximity to the delivery end of said elevator with saidgrid,

and a deflector gate movably associated with the end of said chuteadjoining) said hopper, said gate being adjustable to y-pass materialrom said elevator past said hopperto said chute.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

FRANK D. CHAPMAN.

